Haskell Free Library & Opera House

Pros: World’s only international opera house. Exciting to be in two countries at the same time. Recommend going on the guided tour, which takes place every hour.
Cons: Opera house can only be seen during performance time or through a guided tour.

Normally the Haskell is a great place to go for a couple of hours to utilize the excellent wi-​fi in their reading room, but today was not one of those days.
During my visit I was happily told that I could sit in one area of the reading room, while some local artists were installing a new exhibit of their work. Now, I’m all for supporting local artisans and their craft, and there are woefully few places for artists to exhibit, but after getting situated in the spot where I was asked to sit so as not to disturb the artists, the artists proceeded to work in the very area where I was told it was alright to sit.
This would have been fine, but they didn’t alert me that they were going to be concentrating in that area of the room, nor did they safely start moving a ladder in to the area — here ladders can be folded to move they more safely, instead they had the ladder unfolded and decided to carry it into the space, almost tripping over my computer A/​C cord.
Now, before you think I’m just uptight, I would rather have been told the reading room was closed for the afternoon because they were setting up an exhibit, then be told I could work in one area and get all set up and only have to leave the place 15 minutes in to working.
Alternately, if they really want to utilize the space for exhibition of artists’ work, then they could also think about having the work hung during hours that the library is not open — e.g. during the evening, or on a weekend day.
I’ll go back, certainly, but I’ll make sure to call first, so my time isn’t wasted.

Got there too late to go in but the outside is beautiful. Well worth visiting. Be careful though. If you are coming from Canada you must stay on the sidewalk all the way to the front door. The US has bent the border rules to let you essentially enter the US in order to enter the library. The street is now blocked with large flower pots and there Is a huge sign that warns you not to enter the US illegally, i.e. don’t step in the street, or you are subject to a $ 5,000 fine. Border Patrol has a car parked there and a camera on a pole watching you. The Canadians don’t have any obvious heavy handedness there. Nice place to go if you like borders.

How cool is this place? Stuck in two tiny towns and split by an international border, this special little spot was a real treat to stumble upon on my road trip through the North East and Canada.
The Haskell is not unique because it’s a library and an opera house in one; it’s special because the place has a distinct black line running through it to tell you when you’ve passed into another country. Can you imagine looking at fiction in the US before moving over to non-​fiction in Canada? Imagine no more — the Haskell brings that idea to life.
The surrounding area is beautiful as well, and I had one heck of a time taking photos/​videos darting across the border where French Canadian signs reigned supreme. There’s a little marker outside the Haskell to let you know you’ve crossed one way or the other, though it seems like one would quickly figure that out when the languages suddenly switch!
It’s a little out of the way, but it’s certainly a grand experience as most things off the beaten path are. If you find yourself driving around Canada (Stanstead, Quebec to be precise) or Vermont, I can’t recommend a stop over here. Just don’t forget your passport — I went when the new rules for passport requirements into Canada weren’t in place. While I assume the library doesn’t mind, you’ll have a hard time getting across otherwise.

Honestly, it has been quite a while since I have been here — probably 10+ years plus, but I know that not much about this place has changed. Not to mention that since Unilocal does not have the ability for Canadian reviews, I had to write one which was as close to Canada as I could think of – since I am part Canadian myself.
So, as far as being close to Canada — you couldn’t get any closer — this beautiful old building — built at the turn of last century — has quite a history and a tale to tell. If you like history, odd facts and old architecture, then this is the place for you. It is so close to Canada that half of the building is IN Canada. It even has BOTH a Canadian (Quebec) and American (Vermont) address. It has even been reported that when this building underwent renovations a few years ago, special permits and agreements had to be made in order to accommodate the building codes and workers from both sides of the border.
Anyhow, they have a working Opera House with a full schedule of shows throughout the spring and summer months. The opera house is supposedly designed after the old Boston Opera House — but on a smaller scale.
The library itself has 20,000 books in both english and french and there is a deliniation across the floor which indicates the Canadian and American border which this building stradles.
It is a bit out of the way, but if you are passing through this area, I highly recommend stopping for a quick tour (free, but donations accepted).

The Haskell Free Library and Opera House is a an international bridge and community embassy for the north country. It is a really cool and special place. Half of the Haskell is in the US and the other half is in Canada.
This place is more than a library. It is a theater, national historic building and they offer community theater and hosts traveling shows and performance’s.